Oklahoma Sooners QB named to Maxwell Award watch list

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

The calendar has flipped to August, which means that the 2026 college football season is inching closer. The Oklahoma Sooners will begin fall camp on Wednesday, and the first games of the year will take place on Saturday, August 29th. OU will kick off its season six days later, taking on the UTEP Miners in primetime in Norman on Friday, September 4th.

Conference media days are in the rearview mirror and "talking season" has come to a close. While we wait for the games to begin, and while fall camps commence around the country, watch list season got going on Monday, as the Maxwell Award watch list was released. The award is presented to the college player of the year by the Maxwell Football Club.

Oklahoma starting quarterback John Mateer made the list, as he enters his second and final season in Norman. He's looking to improve after an up-and-down year in 2025 that saw him end the month of September as the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, but struggle after a broken hand forced him to have surgery. The injury derailed his individual season, but he still had enough in the tank to help OU make the College Football Playoff.

After returning to OU, Mateer has been hard at work this offseason. He's told the media about his work to improve his footwork, his throwing mechanics, his ability to read defenses, and his decision-making. Oklahoma has upgraded the weapons around him in the meantime.

As fall camp approaches, the work is not done yet, but soon the regular season will be upon us. After making eight starts with a surgically-repaired broken thumb down the stretch of 2025, Mateer is certainly eager to regain the form that made him one of the most dynamic players in college football.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X@Aaron_Gelvin.

This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma Sooners QB named to Maxwell Award watch list

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos